WASHINGTON — Students of Osama bin Laden at the CIA got more homework Monday.
Another tape thought to be from the terrorist leader, this one urging a boycott of Iraqi elections, was the sixth audio or videotape from Bin Laden since September. It was more grist for a battery of CIA analysts who have been scouring the recordings for fresh clues about the Al Qaeda mastermind.
Much of the effort has focused on studying the statements for new insights into Bin Laden's intentions. But U.S. intelligence officials say that with each new tape there is a parallel and equally energetic effort to examine every aspect of the recording for inadvertent leads on matters ranging from Bin Laden's whereabouts to his health.
The effort has been growing in intensity, fueled by swelling budgets and payrolls since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. And there have been some small successes, said current and former intelligence officials familiar with the efforts. But until Bin Laden is killed or captured, the true payoff remains elusive.
The CIA has tapped geologists to examine rock formations seen in the background of Bin Laden's tapes, and has turned to botanists for help in identifying trees or shrubs, all in an effort to detect any unique stones or flora that could yield clues to his location.
The agency has enlarged images of the maps used as backdrops in some videotapes to scan for telltale markings. Analysts have argued about whether Bin Laden wore a certain knife to send a coded message to operatives. And CIA psychiatrists and doctors have studied Bin Laden's appearance and mannerisms for clues about possible psychological irregularities and the extent of his reported ailments.
The effort is not confined to U.S. intelligence. German authorities thought they heard a bird chirping in one of Bin Laden's audiotapes this year, and brought in ornithologists to identify the species -- and its habitat -- according to reports in the German media. They did identify the bird, a source said, but the clue hasn't helped find Bin Laden.
Even those involved in the efforts acknowledge that they can be taken to extreme, if not ridiculous, lengths. But, they say, failure to obsess over such details would raise the risk of overlooking important clues.
"It's a good example of people putting too much emphasis on superficial aspects of the tape, when what Bin Laden says is typically much more important than what he wears," said Michael Scheuer, who left the CIA recently after serving as head of the unit tracking Bin Laden.
